Lights-Out The Past Three Games, Fernando Mendoza Strives For More

Cal's sophomore QB is completing 73% of his passes with zero interceptions the past three games

Fernando Mendoza celebrates after Cal's win at Auburn / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fernando Mendoza remains a redshirt sophomore work in progress.

The Cal quarterback needs to help the Bears cash in red-zone chances more often for touchdowns than field goals. He can improve on getting rid of the ball before being sacked. He needs to keep his Mom happy by sliding more often on scrambles.

But Mendoza has made sizable gains from his freshman season a year ago, and there is no greater evidence of that than his past three games:

His combined passing stats line for those three outings: 84 for 115 (73.0 percent) for 918 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

How many other Cal quarterbacks over the past four decades have gone three games completing 70 percent of their passes without an interception?

If you’re thinking Jared Goff, no. Never did it. 

How about Aaron Rodgers? Nope.

Let’s go back to the 1990s and consider Dave Barr, a very efficient quarterback. Sorry, not him, either.

Mendoza is the only Cal quarterback over that sizable span of time to have assembled that combination of numbers.

“Those are the top two things: Efficiency and accuracy with the ball and protecting the football and not giving it away,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said.“He wants to be good and he has certainly made strides from where he was a year ago. And he’s still a pretty young player. He’s going to continue to get better.”

Fernando Mendoza / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Mendoza won’t discount the improvement he has made, but he’s nowhere near satisfied.

“Although that’s a very affirming statistic of 73 percent, I know that I can be better than that,” he said. “Last three we’re also 1-2. There’s plays I’m really happy about and plays I’m not. I know there’s situations I need to get better in.”

Mendoza and the Bears (4-4, 0-4 ACC) come off a bye week following a 44-7 rout of former Pac-12 rival Oregon State that snapped their four-game drought. They play Friday night at Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2), still chasing their first-ever win in their new league.

Mendoza says experience — eight starts last year and now eight this fall — have allowed the game to slow down. He credits first-year quarterbacks coach Sterlin Gilbert for helping with footwork and keeping two hands on the ball.

“The things he did last year as a freshman, we all saw flashes of the quarterback that he could become,” Cal offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch said. “The thing that stood out the most last year in a negative aspect was the turnovers. 

“That was a huge point of emphasis (in the offseason). He’s done a really good job of protecting the ball.”

Cal was among the nation’s most generous teams a year ago, coughing up 28 turnovers. Mendoza, despite not playing the first five games, had half of those giveaways — 10 interceptions and four lost fumbles.

“The brutal truth is I was not keeping the ball in safe spaces and that led to turnovers,” Mendoza said. “I think I’ve done a lot better job this year in keeping the ball safe and understanding what a vital role that plays.”

Cal has just five turnovers this season, and Mendoza has not fumbled while handling the ball on most of the Bears’ 551 offensive snaps.

The improvement is evident in his numbers:

— His 2,095 yards are fourth-most in the ACC

— His three interceptions are tied for the second fewest in the conference

— His 68.5 percent completion rate is second best nationally among sophomores and on pace to be the best by a Cal player since Rich Campbell was on target 70.7 percent of the time back in 1980.

Mendoza said he’s tried to remember to slide on dashes out of the pocket, but acknowledges he put himself in harm’s way a couple times against Oregon State.

Wilcox joked that the coaching staff has tried different ways to convince Mendoza to protect his health in the open field. 

“We’ve talked at length about that. Knowing when it’s time to make a real competitive play. It’s third or fourth down late in the game — got to have it,” he said. “Or when the time is to slide and not needing to take the extra hit.”

Getting Mendoza to hit the turf may be going against his nature, Wilcox suggested.

“What we all appreciate about Fernando is it’s not really in his DNA to be a slider. I do think that’s an area he doesn’t need to take the extra hits,” he said. 

"Maybe I’ll draw pictures. He’s a real smart guy, I’m sure he’s bi-lingual, so maybe I’ll try that.”